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[All pictures of garden wildlife on this page are thumbnails. Click on any thumbnail for a large format to be displayed.]

Miscellaneous Bees

This chapter covers bee types that are not described in the previous pages.

There are many bee species other than honeybees. The order called Hymenoptera contains over 100,000 known species - insects with two pairs of membranous wings. This includes Vespoidea (wasps), Apoidea (bees) and Formicoidea (ants).

For classification purposes bees are arranged into 9 families. Many of these are native to Africa and places other than the UK. The bees of the following families can be found in the UK:
- Andrenidae - large family of various Mining bees
- Apidae - Honeybees, Bumblebees, Cuckoo bees, Carpenter bees
- Colletidae - Plasterer bees
- Megachilidae - Mason bees, Leafcutter bees and Carder bees


Honey Bee Apis mellifera

The Honey Bee is one of the few insects considered to be useful by most people. More...

Red Mason Bee Osmia rufa

The Red Mason Bee is on the wing in early spring and a good fruit tree pollinator. More...


Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens

The Blue Mason Bee is seen in our garden regularly, but never in great numbers. More...

Osmia niveata

This small Mason Bee probably is Osmia niveata. More...


Colletes daviesanus

Colletes daviesanus belongs to the genus Colletes (Plasterer bees) and is the smallest species of Colletes in the UK. More...


Megachile species

This is an old, worn out Leafcutting Bee. More...


Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis male

It is very hard to tell apart the male of the Common Wasp Bee from the males of other Wasp Bees. If you can. More...


Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis female

The female of the Common Wasp Bee is much bigger than the male. She is seen on flowers less frequently. More...


Lasioglossum sexstrigatum

This is an old and worn out male of Lasioglossum sexstrigatum. More...




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